Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship contested in Pakistan by six regional teams.
History
Named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who was known as 'Quaid-i-Azam', the trophy was introduced in the 1953-54 season to help the selectors pick the squad for Pakistan's Test tour of England in 1954. Five regional and two departmental teams competed in the first competition: Bahawalpur, Punjab, Karachi, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh, Combined Services and Pakistan Railways.The competition's format has seldom remained unchanged from one season to the next. It has been contested sometimes by regional teams, sometimes by departmental teams, but usually by a mixture of the two. In 1956–57 it was decided that Karachi and Punjab would have to enter three teams each, to make the teams more evenly matched. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced a new domestic structure ahead of the 2019–20 season, which included the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy being contested by six newly formed regional teams.
Karachi has won the trophy 20 times.
Current teams
Winners
| Year | Winning team | Runner-up | Number of teams | Regional | Departmental | Number of matches | Format |
| 1953/54 | Bahawalpur | Punjab | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1954/55 | Karachi | Combined Services | 9 | 7 | 2 | 8 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1955/56 | not held | ||||||
| 1956/57 | Punjab | Karachi Whites | 13 | 11 | 2 | 18 | 4 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1957/58 | Bahawalpur | Karachi C | 15 | 13 | 2 | 26 | 4 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1958/59 | Karachi | Combined Services | 12 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 4 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1959/60 | Karachi | Lahore | 13 | 10 | 3 | 12 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1960/61 | not held | ||||||
| 1961/62 | Karachi Blues | Combined Services | 15 | 13 | 2 | 28 | 4 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1962/63 | Karachi A | Karachi B | 16 | 13 | 3 | 27 | 4 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1963/64 | Karachi Blues | Karachi Whites | 15 | 13 | 2 | 14 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1964/65 | Karachi Blues | Lahore | 26 | 18 | 8 | 24 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1965/66 | not held | ||||||
| 1966/67 | Karachi | Pakistan Railways | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1967/68 | not held | ||||||
| 1968/69 | Lahore | Karachi | 12 | 11 | 1 | 11 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1969/70 | PIA | PWD | 20 | 15 | 5 | 34 | 5 round-robin groups; pre-semi-final |
| 1970/71 | Karachi Blues | Punjab University | 20 | 11 | 9 | 19 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1971/72 | not held | ||||||
| 1972/73 | Pakistan Railways | Sind | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1973/74 | Pakistan Railways | Sind | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | knockout; semi-finals |
| 1974/75 | Punjab A | Sind A | 10 | 6 | 4 | 9 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1975/76 | National Bank | Punjab A | 10 | 6 | 4 | 9 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1976/77 | United Bank | National Bank | 12 | 6 | 6 | 11 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1977/78 | Habib Bank | National Bank | 12 | 6 | 6 | 11 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1978/79 | National Bank | Habib Bank | 12 | 4 | 8 | 11 | knockout; quarter-finals |
| 1979/80 | PIA | National Bank | 11 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 4 groups; final round-robin |
| 1980/81 | United Bank | PIA | 10 | 2 | 8 | 45 | round-robin |
| 1981/82 | National Bank | United Bank | 10 | 3 | 7 | 45 | round-robin |
| 1982/83 | United Bank | National Bank | 10 | 3 | 7 | 45 | round-robin |
| 1983/84 | National Bank | United Bank | 10 | 0 | 10 | 45 | round-robin |
| 1984/85 | United Bank | Pakistan Railways | 12 | 2 | 10 | 33 | 2 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1985/86 | Karachi | Pakistan Railways | 12 | 6 | 6 | 66 | round-robin |
| 1986/87 | National Bank | United Bank | 12 | 4 | 8 | 66 | round-robin |
| 1987/88 | PIA | United Bank | 13 | 4 | 9 | 39 | 2 round-robin groups; semi-finals |
| 1988/89 | ADBP | Habib Bank | 8 | 0 | 8 | 29 | round-robin; final |
| 1989/90 | PIA | United Bank | 8 | 0 | 8 | 57 | round-robin; final |
| 1990/91 | Karachi Whites | Bahawalpur | 8 | 8 | 0 | 31 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1991/92 | Karachi Whites | Lahore | 9 | 9 | 0 | 39 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1992/93 | Karachi Whites | Sargodha | 8 | 8 | 0 | 31 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1993/94 | Lahore | Karachi Whites | 8 | 8 | 0 | 31 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1994/95 | Karachi Blues | Lahore | 10 | 10 | 0 | 48 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1995/96 | Karachi Blues | Karachi Whites | 10 | 10 | 0 | 48 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1996/97 | Lahore | Karachi Whites | 8 | 8 | 0 | 31 | round-robin; semi-finals |
| 1997/98 | Karachi Blues | Peshawar | 10 | 10 | 0 | 46 | round-robin; final |
| 1998/99 | Peshawar | Karachi Whites | 11 | 11 | 0 | 56 | round-robin; final |
| 1999/00 | PIA | Habib Bank | 23 | 11 | 12 | 122 | 2 round-robin groups; final |
| 2000/01 | Lahore Blues | Karachi Whites | 12 | 12 | 0 | 67 | round-robin; final |
| 2001/02 | Karachi Whites | Peshawar | 18 | 18 | 0 | 73 | 2 round-robin groups; final |
| 2002/03 | PIA | KRL | 24 | 13 | 11 | 75 | 4 round-robin groups; pre-quarter-finals |
| 2003/04 | Faisalabad | Sialkot | 9 | 9 | 0 | 36 | round-robin |
| 2004/05 | Peshawar | Faisalabad | 11 | 11 | 0 | 56 | round-robin; final |
| 2005/06 | Sialkot | Faisalabad | 7 | 7 | 0 | 22 | round-robin; final |
| 2006/07 | Karachi Urban | Sialkot | 7 | 7 | 0 | 22 | round-robin; final |
| 2007/08 | SNGPL | Habib Bank | 22 | 13 | 9 | 111 | 2 round-robin groups; final |
| 2008/09 | Sialkot | KRL | 22 | 13 | 9 | 111 | 2 round-robin groups; final |
| 2009/10 | Karachi Blues | Habib Bank | 22 | 13 | 9 | 111 | 2 round-robin groups; final |
| 2010/11 | Habib Bank | PIA | 22 | 13 | 9 | 113 | 2 round-robin divisions; 2 finals |
| 2011/12 | PIA | ZTBL | 22 | 13 | 9 | 113 | 2 round-robin divisions; 2 finals |
| 2012/13 | Karachi Blues | Sialkot | 14 | 14 | 0 | 62 | 2 round-robin groups; 4 round-robin pools; 2 finals |
| 2013/14 | Rawalpindi | Islamabad | 14 | 14 | 0 | 61 | 2 round-robin groups; 4 round-robin pools; final |
| 2014/15 | SNGPL | National Bank | 26 | 14 | 12 | 116 | 2 divisions: round-robin, then final in Gold League; 2 round-robin groups, quarter-finals in Silver League |
| 2015/16 | SNGPL | United Bank | 16 | 8 | 8 | 62 | 2 round-robin groups; 4 round-robin pools; 2 finals |
| 2016/17 | WAPDA | Habib Bank | 16 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 2 round-robin divisions; 2 round-robin "Super Eight" groups of four; final |
| 2017/18 | SNGPL | WAPDA | 16 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 2 round-robin divisions; 2 round-robin "Super Eight" groups of four; final |
| 2018/19 | Habib Bank | SNGPL | 16 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 2 round-robin divisions; 2 round-robin "Super Eight" groups of four; final |
| 2019/20 | Central Punjab | Northern | 6 | 6 | 0 | 31 | round-robin; final |
Karachi teams have won the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy 20 times, PIA 7, National Bank 5, Lahore teams, United Bank, and SNGPL 4, Habib Bank 3, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Punjab, Railways, and Sialkot 2, ADBP, Central Punjab, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and WAPDA 1.
NB: "Regional" teams represent cities, districts and provinces. "Departmental" teams represent institutions, corporations, and government departments and instrumentalities. "Number of matches" includes matches scheduled but not played.
Records
World records
New structure for 2019-20
On 31 August 2019, the PCB introduced a new structure of the tournament, in which six newly formed regional teams will play a total of thirty-one matches, each team playing ten matches. The teams competing are Balochistan, Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern, Sindh and Southern Punjab. On 3 September 2019, the PCB confirmed all of the squads for the tournament.The PCB also updated the playing conditions for the tournament, including removing the mandatory coin toss and the possibility of extending the final by an extra day, if needed. The visiting team's captain will have the choice to bowl first if they wish. If not, then the coin toss will take place as before. This practice has been used in England since the 2016 County Championship season. If the final ends in a draw, the winner will be declared on the basis of a first innings lead. However, if the first innings for both teams have not been completed, an extra day will be used. In the event that both teams do not complete their first innings, they will both be declared the winners of the tournament.
Points system
Points are awarded at the conclusion of each match during the season.- Won: 16 points
- Lost: 0 points
- Draw: 5 points
- Tie: 9 points
- Batting points: First Innings only up to 110 overs – first point at 200 runs, second point at 250 runs, third point at 300 runs, fourth point at 350 runs, fifth point at 400 runs
- Bowling points: First Innings only up to 110 overs – first point at 3 wickets, second point at 6 wickets, third point at 9 wickets